INSIDE THE BLACKHAWKS.

Power Play Is Missing Electricity

Blackhawks coach Craig Hartsburg has some thoughts on his team's power play. And he's keeping them to himself.

"I don't really want to talk about it at this point," Hartsburg said.

Fair enough. What could he say that the numbers don't?

The Blackhawks rate 18th in the NHL in power-play goals, scoring only 14.5 percent of the time when they have an advantage. They seemed to go backward this week in the loss to Dallas and the subsequent tie at Hartford, when the Hawks power play went a combined 0 for 7. The Hawks haven't scored on their last 12 power plays.

It's no minor concern. The Hawks have to find a solution before the postseason, when games are tighter and a single penalty can change the tone of a series.

"Your special teams are so important, especially at this time of year," General Manager Bob Pulford said Thursday. "You're in a situation where, if you lose the special teams contest in the game, chances are you're going to lose the game too."

The Hawks did not excel on the power play a year ago--they ranked 15th in the NHL, with a 17.7 percent success rate--but they rarely seemed as feeble as in recent weeks.

Pulford said one reason for the slip is the loss of center Bernie Nicholls. The Hawks also have changed the direction of their power-play attack, originating from the left side instead of the right. And last year's leading power-play scorer, Gary Suter, has produced only 14 points, 27 fewer than a year ago.

"Right now, we're missing one player on the power play," Pulford said. "We had Bernie Nicholls on the power play and we did very well. We need that one guy who can quarterback the power play."

The need to improve the power play was apparent in both games this week. In the bitter 1-0 loss to Dallas Tuesday night in United Center, the Hawks failed to convert on three power plays before the Stars broke a scoreless tie midway through the second period.

On Wednesday night in Hartford, the Hawks blew a chance to take the lead during a power play late in the third period; they gave up the advantage when Suter was whistled for playing with a broken stick.

They also wasted four-on-three and five-on-four advantages for the final 1:44 of overtime. Worn out from their second match in as many nights, the leg-weary Hawks didn't even muster a shot on goal. They didn't want to risk giving up a short-handed score, but defenseman Chris Chelios, who leads the team with 18 power-play points, said, "when we had 10 seconds of a four-on-three we should have taken advantage."